Cruise log part 2- Travelling

The flight to Ft. Lauderdale didn't leave until 6 pm Central Time. There was a connection in Memphis which was delayed on the runway for 1 hour for de-iceing as it was snowing.

I hate to fly, am a very anxious flier, and sitting in a plane on the runway for an hour only serves to heighten my anxiety. "Shoulda filled up the Rum Runners", I whispered to Jen. "Woulda been a good idea", she whispered back.

Rum Runners are these incredibly compact, flexible little plastic bottles/bags you can fill with your favorite beverage and slip easily into a pocket, completely undetectable by metal detectors. Don't ask me why we didn't fill them up. I guess, I was a little scared of being kicked off the plane or something. I do tend to like to remain clear headed when I travel to minimize any lost carry ons and stuff like that. Jen is a little spacey when travelling and I often have to remind her to pick up a bag or something.

The flight finally got under way and was pretty bumpy due to the weather, but I didn't have a heart attack. We arrived in Ft. Lauderale at approximately 1 am. Eastern Time. After collecting our luggage we went outside to wait for Jen's sister to come pick us up. Two phone calls of "where are you?" later, the car pulled up at the curb, driven by Fran's (Jen's sis) girlfriend. Seems Fran was a bit under the weather from a little too much beer. And she was owly and growly to boot. She and her girlfriend bickered the whole way back to Fran's place.

We had a lot of luggage, which had to be hauled into Fran's little mobile home, as Fran was afraid it might get stolen from the car. It's amazing how much stuff you have to pack to go on a cruise for a week. They have theme nights, most nights, so you need costumes and s*&@ like that. They don't have a drug store on board, so they suggest you pack everything you might possibly need in the way of over the counter meds. Being a nurse, I think quite literally on this score, so there was a whole little cosmetic bag full of things like Dramamine, Imodium, Benadryl, Ibuprofen, Zantac, plus my allergy meds, anti-depressants, and asthma inhaler. Along with the meds, I packed a little First Aid kit. You never know, right? I think I am also part Boy Scout.

Got the luggage hauled in. I wanted to go to bed, Fran wanted to go to bed. Jen was excited to see her sis and wanted to stay up and talk. Which I didn't think was such a great idea as Fran was pretty owly. So, I got ready for bed, as did everyone else. But Jen had her suitcase open and kept dragging stuff out to show her sister. She becomes about 8 years old when she gets around Fran. It's cute and kind of endearing but not at 2 a.m. I went to bed. Fran kept heading for her room but got way-laid each time by "Sissy, look at this!" Finally, after about 30 minutes of this, Jen settled down and was ready to go to bed.

I fell asleep pretty quickly and was awakened quite early by neighbors talking, quite loudly outside, and birds. Not something one is accustomed to hearing on March 1st in Nebraska, as the windows are usually closed.

We didn't have to board our ship until 3 p.m. and I knew Jen really wanted to visit with her sis, so we hung out at her place until about 1 or so. Then we loaded all the luggage back into Fran's car and started for Port Everglades, which is about 25 miles from Pompano Beach where Fran lives. Again, we were treated to the bickering of Fran and her girlfriend about the weather, where to turn, the traffic, etc.,etc. all the way to the port. I have not been so glad to get out of someone's company in a long while.

Boarding procedures can be quite complicated from what I have heard. But these folks had everything organized very well and we were through the check in area in less than 20 minutes. We made our way to our room and our luggage followed very shortly afterwards. So we went ahead and unpacked.I don't normally unpack while on vacation but a ships cabin isn't made for living out of your suitcases for a week. Fortunately, there is plenty of closet and drawer space which makes it quite easy to access everything. Suitcases are stored under your bed.

There was a mandatory lifeboat drill at 4:15 p.m. It was rather a comforting ritual, as each person was accounted for on deck by a crew member. It's a very organized affair. And if you miss it, the captain sees to it that a make-up drill is scheduled. On one cruise the make up drill was at 3 a.m., says one repeat passenger.

After unpacking we explored the ship and went to dinner. The MS Westerdam, of the Holland America Line is a very opulent vessel. It has 10 decks with 5 restaurants, a 3 level auditorium, 2 swimming pools, a spa, jacouzzis, about 5 bars, a night club, a casino, and a movie theater, plus shops and an infirmary. These are the passenger decks. Below the water are 2 more decks where passengers are not allowed. The crew and staff quarters are here, along with 2 more restaurants and bars and a hair salon. There is luxury and comfort everywhere you look on board. The elevator doors are covered in embossed brass, all the halls and lobbies are carpeted, the bars are beautiful, the dining rooms are fit for a queen. There is one dining room we didn't even go to because you have to have reservations, and there is a $20.00 per person surcharge. It was extremely elegant!

The food at our first meal was exquisite! Truly 5 star dining. I had salmon which was the freshest I have ever had- and I grew up in Massachusetts. I don't remember what Jen ate. But each meal in the dining room is served from a menu and there are 5 courses. If I had eaten all 5 courses at each meal I would have gained 45 pounds. Seriously! So, I chose wisely and ended up gaining only 4 pounds for the week.

We set sail at 10 p.m. with a big bash on the Lido deck by the pool. There was a DJ and dancing and drinking and a comedienne (Vicki Shaw). We left the party around midnight and it was going for some time after that, from what we heard the next day. It was a bit chilly for me, but I heard that a few of the revellers went skinny dipping in the wee hours. BRRR!

Stay tuned for the next installment: At Sea and The first port of call.